An Environment Agency
consultation is open with regard to environmental
permit application submitted by Covanta.
The normal consultation period has been
extended until 15 June 2010 due to the overlap
with the general election. The consultation
covers an environmental permit application
submitted by Covanta to run an energy from
waste facility at Midpoint 18, Middlewich.
On 26 April Cheshire
East Council refused Covanta planning permission
to build an energy from waste plant. The
company indicated that it intends to appeal
against this decision and is continuing
with its application to the Environment
Agency for an environmental permit. The
proposed plant would need both planning
permission and an environmental permit before
it could be operated.
The proposed energy
from waste facility would burn non-hazardous
municipal, commercial and industrial wastes
at high temperature and use the energy created
to generate electricity.
Environmental permits
include requirements to control potential
emissions to air, land and water, as well
as conditions for how an installation is
managed and operated. We will consider what,
if any, categories of waste could be processed,
and matters such as noise, vibration and
odour control The consultation on the permit
application by Covanta provides members
of the public with the opportunity to comment
on such issues. The consultation does not
relate to the planning issues for the site,
such as traffic movements, visual impact,
operating hours and light pollution.
We do not decide if,
where or how many facilities are built,
this is for the planning process to decide.
Any comments that you wish to make with
regard to an appeal by Covanta against the
refusal of planning permission would need
to be made as part of that appeal process.
Our role is to ensure
that any facility, if built, is designed
and operated to ensure a high level of protection
for the environment and human health. The
applicant also has to demonstrate that the
proposed facility meets the requirements
of the Environmental Permitting (England
and Wales) Regulations 2010. Best available
techniques should be employed in the design
and operation of the facility, and it must
be able to comply with stringent emission
controls.
Keith Ashcroft, Environment
Agency Area Manager said: “We appreciate
there is a high level of interest in this
application. We understand the importance
of consulting with members of the local
community, the local authority and the health
authority for their views of the potential
effect on the environment and public health.
An Environmental Permit will not be issued
if we believe that it will cause significant
pollution to the environment or harm the
health of adjacent communities.”
The permit consultation
period will currently run until 15 June
2010. Copies of all documents relating to
this installation are available to view
at the public registers, which are held
at:
Environmental Health
Cheshire East Council
Westfields
Middlewich Road
Sandbach
CW11 1HZ
Environment Agency
Appleton House
430 Birchwood Boulevard
Birchwood
Warrington
WA3 7WD
Electronic copies of
the application documents can also be viewed
during this initial consultation at Middlewich
Library, Lewin Street, Middlewich CW10 9AS
and Middlewich Town Council, Victoria Buildings,
Lewin Street, Middlewich, CW10 9AT.
Any comments on the application for permit
should be made in writing by 15 June 2010
to:
The Environment Agency
Permit Support Centre
Quadrant 2
PO Box 4209
Sheffield
S9 9BS
As part of our determination,
we will consult again on our draft decision.
Should we ultimately decide to issue the
permit, this would be only the first stage
in our regulation of the plant. If a facility
is built, we will monitor its environmental
performance, including emissions to air,
to ensure that permit conditions are complied
with.
+ More
Environment Agency flood
response enhanced by Shropshire Council
CCTV
Partnership enables
the Environment Agency to view live CCTV
footage during a flood
In a ground breaking
new initiative, the Environment Agency will
use Shropshire Council CCTV cameras on and
near the River Severn to help manage flood
incidents.
The cameras will allow
strategic commanders to see what is happening
on the ground, enabling them to make rapid
decisions resulting in a fast, efficient
flood response.
As well as enhancing
our own capabilities during flood events,
this will make even better use of Shropshire
Council’s CCTV infrastructure.
Shropshire Council have
made five cameras available to monitor floods
in Shrewsbury. They will allow us to closely
monitor rising river levels to ensure timely
flood warnings and deployment of flood barriers.
By allowing us to target
resources where they are needed, the project
enables us to operate more efficiently and
reduce costs, whilst Shropshire Council
are pleased to have found another way to
use their cameras to serve the people of
Shrewsbury.
Gareth Lloyd, Environment
Agency Project Manager, said “It’s fantastic
to come together with the Council to share
our common goals of providing a safer environment
for the people of Shrewsbury. This initiative
demonstrates the huge potential of using
partnerships to pool resources, reduce cost
and ultimately achieve much more”.
The project is still
in its infancy and the Environment Agency
is now seeking to develop similar partnerships
with other Councils along the River Severn.
The Environment Agency
is also keen to extend its own CCTV coverage
by installing stand alone cameras at other
strategic flood risk sites such as drains
and culverts. This approach saves considerable
time and effort as well as massively reducing
mileage.
Richard Bentley, Environment
Agency Operations Delivery Team Leader,
added “Our fundamental aim is to reduce
the risk of flooding and enhance our response
time to remove critical blockages. CCTV
cameras not only enable us to target our
responses effectively but will also have
a positive influence on our own carbon footprint
through a targeted deployment of our workforce”.
It is a pioneering project
that the team hopes will eventually be mirrored
all over the country.
Dave Roberts, Environmental
Enforcement Manager for Shropshire Council,
said “Shropshire’s Monitoring Centre is
an integrated service for the new unitary
council. The service is ideally placed to
attract both internal council and external
partnership services to provide a personal
24-hour customer service every day of the
year.
“This partnership with
Environment Agency will have a massive impact
on sending live secured images to operational
officers. The partnership will also enhance
the Council-out-of-hours working giving
us the ability to address and answer the
publics concerns immediately.”
